Providers

Types of Child Care Providers

There are approximately 3,000 licensed child care centers and homes in South Carolina. Child care programs must be Licensed, Registered, Approved or Legally Exempt(not licensed) to legally operate in our state.

A child care center must be Licensed or Approved if the program operates more than four hours a day and more than two days a week

Child Care Centers that are publicly funded by federal, state, county or city monies have Approvals instead of Licenses. Requirements for an Approval are the same as requirements for a License.

A License or Approval expires 2 years from the issue date.

The center is inspected before receiving a license, and visits are scheduled with the facility during the renewal process which occurs every two years. Unannounced visits are made annually and to investigate complaints.

Faith-based centers provide care for 13 or more children and are sponsored by a religious organization.

A faith-based child care center must be Registered and has the option of being Licensed if it operates more than four hours a day or more than two days a week. If this type of facility chooses to be Licensed, it must meet the requirements listed for a Licensed Child Care Center.

A Registration expires 2 years from the issue date.

Visits are scheduled with the facility during the renewal process which occurs every two years. Unannounced visits are annually and to investigate complaints.

Group Child Care Homes provide care for 7 to 12 children in the home of the child care provider. They may care for up to 8 children without an additional caregiver.

When attendance reaches 9 or there are more than 3 children under the age of 24 months, an additional caregiver must be present at all times.

All Group Child Care Homes licensed after September 1, 2009 must meet the same fire codes as Licensed Child Care Centers.

Some counties no longer allow Group Child Care Homes. Check with your county zoning office to find out.

A License expires 2 years from the issue date.

The home is inspected before receiving a license, and visits are scheduled with the facility during the renewal process which occurs every two years. Unannounced visits are made annually and to investigate complaints.

Licensed Family Child Care Homes provide care for up to 6 children at any given time within the home of the child care provider.

At a minimum, a Registration is required, however, the provider can choose to be Licensed if they provide care to more than one unrelated family of children on a regular basis (more than two days a week).

All applicants must have written approval from their local Zoning Board before a License can be issued.

A License expires 2 years from the issue date.

The home is inspected before receiving a license, and visits are scheduled with the facility during the renewal process which occurs every two years. Unannounced visits are made annually and to investigate complaints.

A Registered Family Child Care Home provides care for up to 6 children at any given time within the home of the child care provider. A Registration is required if a person provides care to more than one unrelated family of children on a regular basis (more than two days a week).

All applicants must have written approval from their local Zoning Board before a Registration can be issued.

A Registration expires 1 year from the issue date.

The home is inspected before receiving a registration, and visits are scheduled with the facility during the renewal process which occurs annually. Unannounced visits are made annually and to investigate complaints.

Families, Friends, or Neighbors

While parents often like family members and friends to care for their children, you need to keep in mind that they are not registered, licensed or inspected by DSS.

Exempt (Not Licensed) Providers

These providers operate less than 4 hours a day or less than 2 days a week or care for children from only 1 unrelated family. They are not inspected by DSS Child Care Licensing. They are monitored only because they volunteer for ABC Quality. Click here for more information about license exempt providers.

ABC Quality Providers

In addition to being licensed, child care providers can choose to be rated as well. Providers who enroll in the ABC Quality Rating and Improvement System meet higher quality standards that go beyond Licensing requirements to achieve their rating, including standards for nutrition and physical activities. You can see ratings for providers that are enrolled in ABC Quality when you search for child care providers on this website.